The Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT) has completed maintenance on padding infrastructure at Kent Falls on the Saranac River.
The NFCT’s stewardship crew, which consists of professional staff and local waterway stewards, rehabilitated the canoe carry in early July. The project, which was carried out in partnership with New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG), was designed to improve safe passage around Kent Falls and enhance access to this section of the Saranac River.
“We’re grateful to our partners at NYSEG and the local volunteers who helped us complete this work,” said Alex Delhagen, the NFCT’s assistant trail director. “Though not as popular a destination for paddlers as other upstream sections of the Saranac, this is a beautiful stretch of river for all types of recreation and we think folks will appreciate the enhanced infrastructure, which provides safe and sustainable access to the water.”
The Kent Falls project updated and modified trail infrastructure around a series of NYSEG dams. The work included constructing a 12-step stone staircase at the upstream take-out, establishing a new portage trail, constructing a small boardwalk and upgrading a put-in at the end of the portage.
The project was supported by a grant from the Lake Champlain Basin Program, as well as NYSEG, which provided project materials.
As the only dedicated water trail crew in the Northeast, the NFCT’s stewardship crew specializes in projects at the interface of land and water, including campsites, portage trails and access points. To learn more about the NFCT’s stewardship work, contact Trail Director Noah Pollock at noah@northernforestcanoetrail.
